A Matter of Pride
Domack Restoration holds craftsmanship to high family standards
Unlike the facade of buildings, a structure’s roof is generally only seen by construction workers and inspectors or maybe, in rare cases, a random aerial shot from the Goodyear Blimp on game day. With so few eyes evaluating the craftsmanship of a roof, you may think that gives roofing companies room to pull back the reins on quality. But for Jason Domack, owner of Domack Restoration, LLC, quality is a priority no matter how many people will be evaluating his company’s work.
Domack Restoration, family-owned and operated, is a commercial roofing and restoration company located in Stratford, Connecticut. It has been in business for 44 years.
‘Good Enough’ Isn’t Good Enough
The organization’s motto gives some insight into why Jason sets such high standards. “When a business carries your name, ‘good enough’ is never good enough,” he says. “If your company name is QRX Roofing, for example, and you do a bad job, you can just change the name of your business and your family name is not tainted. But when your family name is included in your organization’s name, it is a direct reflection on you and the legacy your family has built. The Domack name is on our vehicles and basically on everything we do.”
With constant visual reminders that the work is being done by Domack Restoration, the expectation is customers will associate the level of service they have received with the Domack name. So, this serves as motivation for the team to provide above-average service and do better than their competitors.
Pride in the family name and a solid work ethic were instilled in Jason early on. Douglas Domack, Jason’s father, started the business in 1974 with a focus on the residential market. Jason started working part time for Domack Restoration in 1990 while he was in high school. Then in 1992, Jason joined the company full time as the organization transitioned into commercial work. During those years, under his father’s tutelage, he learned to take pride in his work.
“It might take you a little bit longer, but you want to do things that are going to work properly,” Jason says. “At the end of the day, clients are paying for something to last.”
Like Jason, Tom and Paul Niedzwiecki—Domack’s top foremen who have been with the company for almost 20 years—were taught similar principles and roofing industry basics by their father when they were younger, and developed similar work ethics. Jason recognizes the value of passing down skills from one generation to another. “Today, we’re not getting the second and third generations of workers,” he says. “Taking pride in your work is pretty hard to teach when you’re already a grown adult. So, when you have personnel that are trained by a family member, a first or second generation [member] of a company, it definitely goes a long way.”
Seeing Yourself in the Customer
Jason’s father also taught him to treat the customer as he would want to be treated, so this is another reason the company’s standards are so high.
“You want to do the project like it’s your own building,” Jason explains. “Ask yourself, ‘Would you do this on your own property or home?’ If the answer is ‘no’ then you shouldn’t be doing it. You should treat this like it’s your own. And, you should do the work at the highest standard you can.”
This mentality, Jason says, is what sets his team apart from everyone else.
As Jason puts himself in his customers’ shoes, he recognizes they need to have a clear understanding of the costs involved. Additionally, he says it’s important to collaborate with the customer to get the best outcome on a project. He sees value in developing a relationship with his client that fosters open communication across all facets of the project leading to its completion. Those facets include things like scheduling, logistics and unforeseen issues that may come up.
For example, Domack Restoration tries to eliminate interruptions to clients’ business operations or interference with their parking. For each client, the company establishes a logistics plan based on its experience with previous projects and also asks the client questions to understand any logistical concerns.
Jason also points out that when working with contractors or construction managers, his team is a part of their teams. He believes it is essential to work together to proactively bring up issues and get them corrected, and also try to identify potential problems before they occur.
A Team Effort
Teamwork is a core element of Domack Restoration’s success. According to Jason, each employee plays an important role; the office staff, foremen, field supervisor, estimator, business manager and field personnel all work together to advance a project from start to finish. Many of them have been with the company for over 10 years, which further contributes to the continuity and uniformity of the services the company provides.
“Our employees wear matching company apparel, so everyone knows they are part of the Domack team,” says Jason. “Some crews show up to a job with all different shirts, clothing, hard hats—and you don’t know who’s who.”
Overall presentation also contributes to employees’ pride in working for Domack Restoration. Jason’s team members work to ensure that, as much as possible, their appearance, equipment and vehicles are all clean. Jason knows some people may think it unnecessary to clean a piece of equipment that is just going to get dirty. But he believes that the level of detail you display in taking care of yourself and your equipment indicates to the customer the amount of attention you will put into your work.
Loving the Labor of Building a Legacy
Jason’s hands-on experience in various company roles gives him a deeper appreciation for the work performed by each member of his staff. As he reflects on what he enjoys most about his job, he says there isn’t just one thing he likes most. Why? Because responsibilities change and evolve over time.
“I originally was working in the field every day, installing,” he says. “It definitely was fulfilling because [it was] something that I personally did. I’d look at the finished product and know I was part of the team that made it happen. Even if nobody else saw it other than myself and my employees, it’s something that I took a lot of pride in doing. So that was really exciting.”
When he transitioned into his current roles of project manager and owner, his perspective changed. He began to see each project more holistically—from planning through execution. This broader lens has enabled him to look beyond field personnel’s hands-on work to see the entire process—and take pride in the work everyone does to achieve the end result. “Coming to work every day knowing that you have a good team in place makes issues and obstacles easier to tackle,” Jason says.
He adds that he sees such issues and obstacles not as insurmountable challenges, but as opportunities to creatively find a fix. “You definitely do go home and say, ‘Wow, we ran up against that challenge and we got through it. It worked out well, and that was a good game plan,’ ” Jason says.
It’s clear that Jason has a lot to be proud of. His family name, the business his team has built, the people who are part of the team and the work they’ve accomplished—all these elements contribute to the satisfaction Jason gets in being the owner of Domack Restoration.